Vecol
by Lady Atheilen
Summary: Leah, a girl with cerebral palsy, has read the Animorphs books. When she finds herself face-to-face with the Animorphs, she knows that only she can stop the deaths of Rachel and the disabled Animorphs, so she joins the team. But will the Animorphs listen
1. Before the Beginning-Leah

AN: Being what Ax and other judgmental, prejudiced, narrow-minded Andalites would call a "vecol," I was rather pissed off with Ax's (and, for that matter, Cassie's) attitude towards the disabled Animorphs near the end of the series. I am working on this fic in order to put that right, in my own way. This is the story of Leah, one of the people that volunteered to become an Animorph in The Ultimate or whatever it was called. Anyway, please read and review!  
  
Chapter One: Before the Beginning-Leah  
  
My name is Leah. I can't tell you my last name. Yet unlike the others, I don't wish I could. You see, back when my last name was a matter of public record, it was usually followed by the words: "Cerebral Palsy."  
  
Cerebral Palsy. That taker of worth. It took me, and changed me from an asset to a liability. No one ever thought that I might have anything to offer the world. After all, I was disabled. I would always have to be taken care of, and could never do anything for myself.  
  
The doctors said I was lucky. I did not have a speech impediment. I could say what I wanted to say.  
  
But they were blind. I could say what I wanted to say, unlike some of the others, but no one would listen. I was not only a child, but also a disabled child. Being a disabled child means that, to others, you will always be a child. My friends would grow out of this period of worthlessness. I would not.  
  
A year ago, my parents put me in this "home." I don't understand how it could be considered a home by any stretch of the imagination. It was a prison. Of course, I had always been in prison, but this made it worse. I was taken away from all my friends, everyone who knew me for what I really was, and put in this place where I was not Leah, but just another patient.  
  
After about a month, I realized that some of my fellow prisoners' names were familiar, names I had once read in a book. Characters that I had felt for, empathized with. I knew their conditions, and some of their personalities.   
  
But I did not draw close to them, because I knew their eventual fate.   
  
At first, I thought it was just coincidence. I mean this was just weird. How could it be? Erica. James. Timmy. Kelly. They were all fictional characters.   
  
But something within me told me that they were the same people. So I waited. Waited for the day when the Animorphs would come, and bring our "fragile souls" into a world of nightmares.  
  
What the Animorphs didn't know was that we were already in a world of nightmares, and our souls were not fragile. They were hard. We would be better warriors than they would. I could see it.  
  
I waited. I knew that I was perhaps the only chance for the Animorphs. For Rachel. For Tobias. For Jake and Cassie. For everyone else in this godforsaken hellhole.  
  
And perhaps the only chance for Ax. I could try to teach him that vecols were not worthless.  
  
And in convincing him, convince myself.  
  
  
  
AN: All right, I know it's not that good. Perhaps you could review anyway? 


	2. Oh, Joy-Leah

All right, you guys, here it is, the second chapter of my screwed up story! JAS, this one will be longer, and it will have some plot to it, not just Leah-angst. Although, there should be some more of that coming up soon as well...;) Anyway, here goes absolutely nothing.  
  
Chapter Two-Oh, Joy-Leah  
  
When I saw the kids in bad magician costumes come into the main room, my entire body stiffened. Cursing my cerebral palsy, which made me jump, I scrutinized their faces. Yes, they matched. This was it...  
  
As I listened to Marco make his "witty" chat, my mind was already formulating a strategy. I needed to speak to James. He would be our leader, and a good one.  
  
But would he accept me as one of the Animorphs? I had never spoken much with any of the others. Collette and some of the others had tried to be friendly, but I had shunned them. I couldn't bear knowing them. I suppose I was a coward, but I knew what was going to happen. How could I be a friend, knowing?  
  
I would hate myself to the end of my days for my cowardice and stupidity, but I could not dwell on it. When James and the kids came back out to get Timmy and Kelly, I joined them.  
  
James smiled at me. "Guys, this is Leah."  
  
I breathed a sigh of relief. He would let me stay. I had underestimated him.  
  
Some of my surprise and relief must have showed in my expression, because James looked at me for a long moment, a look that clearly said, "we'll talk later."  
  
Watching morphing for the first time was absolutely disgusting. Every time, it was different, and it seemed more grotesque. I wished Timmy and Kelly would just accept it as true so that I wouldn't throw up all over the floor.  
  
When the others were finally convinced, Cassie brought out the Escafil device. Each of us put trembling hands on a surface. When a zap of energy seemed to blast into us, I took my hand away. "So now I'm an Animorph. Oh, joy," I said.  
  
"Yes, joy," said Marco. "You get to get yourself killed fighting evil aliens from outer space."  
  
"Something tells me you and this girl would make a perfect match, Marco," said Cassie.  
  
"What do you say, Leah?" said Marco. "You...me...the parking lot...perhaps a burger from McDonald's?"  
  
I had forgotten how annoying that guy was.  
  
Cassie looked shocked. "I'm sorry, Leah. I wasn't watching what I said. And neither was Narco. You're sorry too, right, Marco?"  
  
Had I said *Marco* was annoying? That stupid little nauseatingly good Cassie was almost more than I could bear. I grinned at the others. Seeing her discomfort, they smiled back.  
  
"I don't know, Marco. What would your mother say?"  
  
"She'd be thrilled."  
  
"I bet."  
  
Marco smiled at me, and produced a pigeon from his cape, which promptly proceeded to poop on him. Everyone in the room burst out laughing, more of a release from tension than anything. I was struck by a flash of deja vu. How many times had I read a scene similar to this?  
  
But it did not matter. I knew I couldn't dwell on the fact that I had thought these people were characters in a book. Right then, I had to help them.  
  
We all went outside to morph the pigeon. The books had said that flying was wonderful. They didn't know the half of it. When I morphed the pigeon, I felt free for the first time in years. I felt like myself again, a person that I had forgotten even existed. I didn't join the others in their gushing. Instead, I ignored everyone and flew high, passing the clouds. Up, up...up further, and then....  
  
(Leah! Come on, we have to get to The Gardens.)  
  
It was James. Embarrassed, I wheeled around, rejoining the group.  
  
(Don't worry. It gets to you.) Jake. These were the first words he had spoken to me, personally.  
  
(Thanks.) I replied. 


	3. SuspicionsJake

Vecol-Chapter 3  
  
Okay, the long-awaited third installment to my pointless tale. Ariana, here's the update you asked for. Yes, I do read Harry Potter. Traycon3, those signs wouldn't work, they're used for HTML. Who's Narco? To any of you who are wondering, I also have cerebral palsy, and yes, it sucks.  
  
BTW, any guesses on the romantic pairing? This *will* be romance.  
  
This chapter has a change of POV, Jake's telling it.  
  
You guys, for some reason, this wouldn't upload properly last time. The end of chapter 2 was lost, and I can't get it on. So if you have already read this from Leah's POV, bear with me.  
  
Chapter 3-Suspicions-Jake  
  
A successful mission. What a joke. Bringing disabled kids into this nightmare could not be a success. It was a folly. But in war, you have no choice but to commit folly. Folly is a by-product of war. I learned that lesson too late.  
  
We flew over the trees. The girl named Leah soon separated from the group and started flying higher. For some reason, I found her disturbing. She had looked so old when I had first seen her, sitting apart from the group, her eyes filled with sadness and-excitement.  
  
A sudden realization made my heart jump into my throat. I knew then what made her different from the others.  
  
She knew. She knew all about us. She had known our names, what we were doing. Which meant that she was either psychic-  
  
Or a Yeerk.  
  
I struggled to keep my thought-speak voice normal as we flew down towards the Gardens. (Okay, everyone. I know a place where we can demorph. Follow me.)  
  
Leah was first. Her wings shrank into her back. Her feathers disappeared. Her legs grew, and she managed to stand, trembling, for a few seconds, before she tumbled to the ground. She looked down and smiled weakly. I realized that she had also known she would not be healed.  
  
But how could even a Yeerk know that? It didn't make any sense. Unless the Yeerks knew more about the morphing technology than even Ax did, Leah-or the Yeerk within her brain-could not have even guessed at who would be healed and who would not. I was pretty sure the Yeerks didn't know that much about it.  
  
Kelly was next. She also was not able to stand. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she had hoped.  
  
Collette and Timmy both fell as well, but James was healed. He walked in a circle, testing his legs. I could see the tears streaming down his face. They were more sorrowful than joyful, I thought. He grieved that the others, those who would follow him, had not been given the same gift that he had. I could see that he had taken the burden of leadership onto himself. I could feel him wondering whether these people, his friends, were going to die by his command. I had had the same thought many times myself, and each day I prayed that the answer was no.  
  
My luck had held so far, but I was afraid that was about to change.  
  
Once they were demorphed, James, Cassie, Marco and I took the new kids into the cages of animals. I made sure I got Leah. As I carried her toward the cage of a cheetah, I asked her how she had known. If she denied knowing outright, I would know she was a Yeerk.  
  
But she didn't deny it. She looked sadly at me for a moment, and then said: "Jake, did you ever write private accounts of some of your missions?"  
  
As a matter of fact, I had. My blood ran cold as I realized the implications of her question. "Yes," I said.  
  
"And did you leave them in a place where anyone could have found them?"  
  
"No," I answered.  
  
Leah frowned, puzzled. "Well, that would explain it, except that now there are accounts of things that have not happened, and I don't think you would have shown your writings to anyone."  
  
Accounts of things that had not happened? It was impossible. "You're lying," I told her. "I don't believe you."  
  
Leah laughed. "Jake, you and five of your friends, one who is trapped in a bird's body and one who is an alien, are fighting a war with slugs from space for the freedom of humankind, aided by a nearly omnipotent creature named the Ellimist and opposed by another named Crayak, not to mention being the allies of pacifist androids and tree-hugging salad shooters, and you are telling me that what I am saying is unbelievable?"  
  
She had a point. "Okay, what is going to happen in the near future?"  
  
"The outcome of the war is revealed."  
  
"And?" It was all I could get out.  
  
"You win-we win. But at a terrible cost, Jake."  
  
"What cost is that?"  
  
Leah just smiled sadly. "If I told you now, you wouldn't be able to do what must be done."  
  
Great. So this 'terrible cost' was going to be my fault. What else was new? 


End file.
